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Board approves additional $745,366 for schools; discusses $1.78M in new local support for special-education services
Summary
The Caroline County Board of Supervisors approved an additional $745,366 for the school operating fund and discussed covering roughly $1.7M in contracted special-education services; school leaders warned of rising costs and staffing shortages for specialized therapy providers.
The Caroline County Board of Supervisors voted to provide an immediate increase to the school operating fund and debated further local support for specialized student services.
During the public-comment period, Sarah Kalverick, superintendent of Caroline County Public Schools, highlighted academic gains and program expansions under the district’s five-year Achieve 2027 plan, saying, “100% of our schools were fully accredited,” and pointing to new CTE and work-based learning partnerships. County staff and school officials then moved into a budget discussion on a requested appropriation.
County staff explained the schools asked for an additional $745,366 above the $1,030,000 the county had budgeted to cover compensation changes and other needs. School leaders also reported a rising annual cost for contracted services to meet students’ intensive needs; Paulette Heron, the school division’s director of exceptional education, told supervisors the per-student cost for intensive needs programs ranges “anywhere from 18,000 to 29,000,” and said the district is budgeting toward that higher end because of shortages in occupational, physical and speech specialists.
County finance staff said those contracted-service costs are large and growing; the meeting transcript records the combined additional request discussed as $1,775,366 when the board completed its arithmetic during the discussion. Supervisor Black moved to approve the $745,366 increase and the board adopted the motion. The motion carried after a voice vote of “aye.”
Board members questioned timing and audit status; some supervisors proposed paying in quarterly installments or waiting for the county audit before committing additional funds. County staff responded that appropriations can be adjusted later in the fiscal year and that the fund balance is sufficient to cover the request now if the board chooses.
What this means: the county will appropriate additional local dollars to the school operating fund to cover state-mandated compensation adjustments and help fund rising contracted services for students with intensive needs. School leaders urged continued collaboration with state and federal partners to address underfunded mandates.
